The present invention relates generally to microscopy, more specifically to microscopes, and, even more particularly, to an optical element holder for a microscope.
As is well known, a microscope is an optical instrument used to view, examine and study very small objects. There are many different types of microscopes, each best suited to particular applications. These include compound microscopes, stereomicroscopes, confocal microscopes, inverted microscopes, laser microscopes, fluorescence microscopes and polarizing microscopes, to name but a few.
The present invention relates generally to compound microscopes and to those microscopes which use the same or similar optical arrangement found in a conventional compound microscope.
A variety of removable components are frequently used with compound microscopes to provide diverse types of light to illuminate the object being investigated. Using different types of lighting enables a greater range of observations to be made using the same instrument. Components of this type include light filters that allow the selective transmission of certain types of light, such as UV light, while preventing other types of light from reaching the object.
One difficulty in using light filters and other removable components with microscopes is the necessity of attaching them in a secure manner to the microscope while still making them easy to remove and replace. Components secured with screws or similar fasteners are sometimes difficult and inconvenient to remove or exchange with another component. However, minimal or no attachment mechanism can result in accidental displacement or misalignment of the component, with possible damage to the component. This is especially true in educational settings in which the user may be an inexperienced student who may be performing a variety of exercises requiring a variety of different components in a limited period of time. Finally, because components such as filters are frequently removed from microscopes, they can be misplaced creating a problem in conducting the required investigations.
Others have disclosed filter mounts for microscopes. German Patent Application DE 197 02 754 discloses a laser microscope having a filter wheel which holds a plurality of filters for examination at different wavelengths, and the individual filters are housed in a carrier attached to the filter wheel by mechanical and/or magnetic means. This publication includes no teaching, however, of using magnetic means to secure an optical element in the beam path at the base of a microscope.
What is needed, then, is an improved apparatus for secure attachment of an optical element for a microscope.
The present invention broadly comprises a microscope assembly comprising a microscope having a base mounted illuminator, an optical element holder operatively arranged to hold an optical element within a beam path of the microscope, and, means for magnetically securing the optical element holder to the illuminator. The optical element holder of the invention includes a housing having a top surface and a bottom surface, the housing having an aperture operatively arranged to hold an optical element, such as a filter or the like, and, at least one magnet attached to, and extending from the bottom surface of the housing, the magnet operatively arranged to be attracted to a portion of the base-mounted illuminator.
The invention also comprises, in combination, a magnetic optical element holder and optical element for a microscope, having an annularly shaped housing having a flanged aperture therein, the housing having a top surface and a bottom surface, the optical element operatively arranged to be held within the flanged aperture, and, at least one magnet attached to the bottom surface of the housing.
The invention also comprises, in combination, a magnetic optical element holder and illuminator for a microscope, having an illuminator mounted in a base of the microscope, the illuminator having at least some ferromagnetic characteristic, an optical element holder comprising a housing having an aperture therein arranged to hold an optical element, the housing having a top surface and a bottom surface, and, at least one magnet mounted to the housing and arranged to hold the holder to a portion of the illuminator.
A general object of the invention is to provide an optical element holder that is detachably mounted to an illuminator in the base of a microscope stand.
Another object of the invention is to provide a magnetic mounting arrangement for an optical element holder for a microscope.
A further object of the invention is to provide a mounting arrangement for an optical element holder for a microscope which avoids unintentional movement of the optical element during use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a convenient storage place in the base of the microscope for the magnetic optical element when it is not in use.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the invention in view of the several drawings of the invention.